37 and 38 Weeks Pregnant

Ok I can honestly say I feel like the last 2 weeks have flown by up until today and I don't remember much but I will do my best to rehash everything below. :)

How far along?:  Well today I am 38 weeks and 6 days pregnant.

Growing?:  Well yes and unfortunately so are my stretch marks.

Best moment of the week?:  Knowing that this time next week I will be in hospital bed a few hours into my induction....

Worst moment of the week?:  Well I have a few of these this week.... number one being the return of morning sickness.  The past 2 or 3 days I have gotten sick right after I wake up.  Another being the bruise I found on my belly this week, that hurts like hell, and is atrocious.  And as I continue to gripe let me not forget the swelling my feet have begun to do..... I have had some minimal swelling up to this point but 38 weeks hit and I began with the painful swelling of my feet and ankles and what is known as pitting edema, which is where if you touch your foot it leaves an imprint.  

It is gross, I know, you don't have to sugar coat it lol.  And finally realizing that this time next week I will be in a hospital bed a few hours into my induction is also one of the worst moments of the week.  

Since I found out I was pregnant I had dreamed of trying to have a natural birth, but keeping an open mind when it came to pain medicine.  I know just because I am being induced does not mean I will HAVE to have pain medicine, but it definitely will not help my chances.  And the other reason for me not loving this is that it also increases my risk for needing a c-section, which I DO NOT WANT, and I am already at a high risk for due to Alex's size.

But I would do ANYTHING just to get my sweet baby boy here happy and healthy.

Cravings?:  Well I would have to say they really have not changed.

Movement?:  He has descended more and still managing to kick and wiggle in there.  Any movement he makes now though is making my whole belly move.

Still nauseous?: Yep, morning sickness is a b****!

Belly button popped?: Nope but getting more and more flat still.  But it will definitely not change before Alex gets here. 

Wedding rings on or off?: Still on a necklace.

Mood:  My answer to how I am doing to EVERYONE is, "I am done."  I am so ready for Alex to be here but I am also so tired and over being pregnant that I just don't know what to do with myself.

NCLEX-RN

So for every person who has ever gone through nursing school the culmination of the 2-4 years of hell would be the NCLEX-RN.  

I had planned to take my NCLEX back in September of last year but with all of the happenings that have taken place I just could not get my mind into the right place to take it and feel confident.

Well I finally got to the "right place" this past month and got it scheduled.  I had originally scheduled to take it next Wednesday but when I started ontracting and dilating I figured I better get it done sooner.  So I called Pearson Vue and waited on pins and needles for them to get back to me.  

Well I heard back from them last Tuesday and was able to reschedule my test for that Friday, 6-15-12.

So i set out for my studying marathon.  I had been studying a few hours a day prior to that but really hit the books now.

Well Friday came and I found myself on my way to take my test.  I walk into the test center and they check me in, scanning my fingerprint and my palmar vein patterns, and taking all of my info other than my blood type.  The lady sits me down at desk number 1 and starts my test.  

1 hour and 15 minutes later I was done.  I did not know how to feel.  I felt like I passed but then I felt like maybe I didn't.  SOO I started googling ways for me to find out faster.  

Well I found "trick" through Pearson Vue where if you try to re-register to take the test, if you failed it will let  you re-register but if you passed then it will not.  Well I did this and it would not let me re-register!!!! There were HUNDREDS of people online proving this to be right so I took it that it meant that I PASSED! 

Well that night was the Miranda Lambert concert so I did not check to see if the official results were up.

But Saturday I was obsessive about it! It was also my Baby Shower day.  So after about 1 pm I did not check it.  

I checked it a few times last night before the site went down for maintenence, but still nothing.  I had kinda of resigned myself to thinking that the results would not be up until Monday.

When I woke up this morning I thought, "What the heck, I will just check to see."  Well when I got online I saw the results were up!!! 

Well do you know what those results said?!?!? 

I PASSED!!!!!

36 Weeks Pregnant

How far along: 36 weeks 6 days.

Growing?:  OH yeah, I am growing a linebacker!!! At the ultrasound on Monday he weighed an estimated 7 lbs 7 oz.

Best moment of the week:  Getting to see you on the ultrasound on Monday!  And confirming said ultrasound that Alex still is 100% boy!!!  And after this picture was taken I went to the Miranda Lambert concert with my cousins Chrissy and Kearstin and their friend Amanda.  It was such a blast and a nice "final hoo-rah."

Worst moment of the week:  Studying for my NCLEX-RN that I took on Friday morning.  It was a year to the date of my "official" graduation date from college. But the results of that are coming in another post. 

Cravings:  Cheese and ice cream.

Movement:  He has begun to do more wiggling and small swift little jabs. And he has moved his head into the birth canal so much so that nurse practitioner was able to feel his head when she checked my cervix. 

Still nauseous?:  Only when I do not eat for a few hours. 

Belly Button popped?:  Nope but still pretty flat.

Wedding Rings?:  On a necklace.

Mood?:  Tired and nervous leading up to my NCLEX.

Stay tuned for another update about the results of NCLEX!!

35 Weeks Pregnant

How far along: 35 weeks and 4 days

Growing?: Oh yes!! There is no question.  I can feel him getting bigger by the day!

Best Moment of the Week?: Knowing that we will get to see him again at our growth scan on Monday.

Worst Moment of the Week?: That would have to be left blank this week.  I honestly cannot think of anything bad that happened.

Cravings:  I have really wanted ice cream and sweets still but I cannot wait to get my hands on something greasy either!

Movement:  Of course!  The doctor and I think he keeps wedging his shoulders into my pelvis which is waking me up some nights causing a little pain.

Still Nauseous?:  Not so bad this week, mainly GERD.

Belly Button Popped?:  Not quite but it is definitely getting flatter and flatter and when I lay down it looks completely flat.

Wedding Rings on or off?:  On a necklace.

Mood:  Overall I have been tired, but happy.  The bigger I get the more it sinks in that he will be here VERY SOON!

Our doctor told us this week that after our growth scan on Monday the Nurse Practitioner will be testing us for Group B Strep and also checking my cervix for any thinning or dilation.  If there is any present she said she will go ahead and schedule for an induction at 39 weeks unless the ultrasound still shows a super large baby, then we will have more to discuss.

From what I have been told at work I have really dropped.  Which I cannot deny considering I take a sip of water and I am about to pee my pants.  I am trying to get a really good comparison shot put together as I type, but it is proving harder than I thought.  

Also we have another baby shower coming up on the 16th which we are really looking forward to.  

Welp I know I will be in touch.  I will probably post the comparison picture on Friday.

34 Weeks Pregnant!

How far along:  In the picture I am 34 weeks and 6 days.

Growing?: I definitely feel bigger, my ankles and toes are growing sideways and I can really tell that Alex is getting squished, because all of his movements feel more like he is sliding around rather than kicking.

Best Moment of the Week:  Well that happened yesterday!  Yesterday not only did we have our maternity shoot with the AMAZING Angela Rose from Soul Focus Photography I also saw my neurologist.   I went in with the knowledge that this was going to be a pretty extensive visit, but I was wrong!!!  My doctor checked out my eyes and saw ABSOLUTELY NO SWELLING!!!! Therefore he cancelled all procedures from there on and said to only come back if my symptoms got worse or didn't go away after I have Alex.  That is some of the best news I have gotten in almost a year when it comes to my eyes.

Oh and I got to use expectant mother parking for the first time this week!!

Worst Moment of the Week:  Well this would still have to be the phlegmy morning sickness.  And now this week I can add the pressure on my crotch, and the getting up to pee 6 times a night.  One other thing would be that I got hurt at work this week.  

Cravings:  Definitely sweets!  Chocolate, ice cream, soda candy you name it!!

Movement:  Feels more like he is sliding around in there rather than kicking and punching.  AND he has definitely descended into my crotch!! 

Still nauseous?:  UGH yes.

Belly Button Popped?:  It is getting more and more shallow and flat each week.

Wedding rings on or off?:  On a necklace.

Mood:  I am getting fatigued super easy!  But overall I have been great, unfortunately for Chris I have had my periods of bitchiness but overall I feel like I have been good.

Chris and I both have had dreams this week that I gave birth!  It just makes us feel like your birth is getting closer and closer, which it is, but this makes us feel like it will be sooner than expected. 

In other news we scheduled our next ultrasound for the 11th of this month and the doctor said if he is still measuring as big as he was and my "cervix is favorable" we will go ahead and schedule an induction.....

I must say this makes me nervous, you could be here in less than 2 weeks!!! AAAAHHHHH wow, time is flying.